Prophet Muhammad in the Scriptures

Another interesting point I learned about concerns
Biblical prophecies on the advent of Prophet Muhammad, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him. I discovered that clear prophecies exist in the
Bible, (even though the original text had been distorted), foretelling the
coming of Prophet Muhammad after Jesus.[1] Muslim
scholars have affirmed that the description by Jesus of the one to come after
him (in the verses cited below) cannot apply to any other person but Prophet
Muhammad. Furthermore, there is a verse in the Holy Quran confirming what Jesus
said regarding this point,

“... O Children of Israel, I am the Messenger of God to you
confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a
Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad.” (Quran 61:6)

The name Ahmad is another name for Prophet Muhammad and is
derived from the same root word.

Prophet Muhammad in the Quran

I observed that the Quran directs us to believe in God
and Prophet Muhammad as in the following verse:

“Say, [O Muhammad], ‘O mankind, Indeed, I am the Messenger of
God to you all. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There
is no deity except Him; He gives life and causes death. So believe in
God and His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in God and His
words, and follow him that you may be guided.’” (Quran 7-158)

I came to know that the Quran also refers to Prophet
Muhammad as the last prophet:

“Muhammad is not the father of [any] of your men, but [he is]
the Messenger of God and last of the prophets...” (Quran 33:40)

Even though God states in the Quran that Muhammad is the
last prophet, I discovered that Muslims still believe in and accept all the
previous prophets, along with the revelations they received in their original
form.[2]

The Quran: The Last Revelation

I comprehended that due to innovations attributed to
Divine revelation that the need arose for another prophet after Jesus with
another revelation after the Gospel to be sent by God. This is why God sent
Muhammad with the last Message, (i.e., the Quran), to bring all of mankind back
to the belief in and worship of One God, without partners or intermediaries. According
to Muslims, the Holy Quran is the permanent ultimate source of guidance for
mankind offers a rational and historical elucidation of the magnificent role of
Jesus. The name Jesus is cited twenty-five times in the Quran, and there is
also a chapter called Maryam (Mary), named after the mother of Jesus.

Regarding the Divine authenticity of this revelation, I
found the following Quranic verses very compelling:

“And it was not [possible] for this Quran to be produced by
other than God, but [it is] a confirmation of what was before it and a detailed
explanation of the [former] Scripture, about which there is no doubt, from the
Lord of the worlds.” (Quran 10:37)

And,

“And indeed, it is the truth of certainty.” (Quran 69:51)

Similarly, I was concerned about the adulteration of the
Quran since this was a major problem with the previous revelations. I read
that the Quran will never change or be abrogated:

“Indeed, it is We who sent down the Message and indeed, We
will be its guardian.” (Quran 15:9)[3]

I was also informed about some of the scientific
phenomena mentioned in the Quran, which give credence to the belief that the
Quran is the literal word of God. There are verses describing human embryonic
development,[4] mountains,[5]
the origin of the universe,[6] the
cerebrum,[7] seas,[8]
deep seas, and internal waves[9] and clouds.[10]
It is beyond explanation that anyone, more than fourteen hundred years ago,
could have known these facts, which were found or confirmed only recently by
advanced mechanisms and sophisticated scientific procedures.

Islam: The Essence and Culmination of Revealed Religions

Muslims believe that the essential purpose for which
mankind was created is the worship of God. As He said in the Quran,

“And I did not create the jinn [i.e., a type of creation,
created by God from fire] and mankind except to worship Me” (Quran 51:56)

Related to this, a well known Islamic scholar from the
West says, “The most complete system of worship available to humans today is
the system found in the religion of Islam, The very name ‘Islam’ means
‘submission to the Will of God’. Although it commonly is referred to as ‘the
third of the three monotheistic faiths’, it is not a new religion at all. It
is the religion propagated by all the prophets of God. Islam was the religion
of Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.”[11]

In addition he states, “Since there is only One God, and
humankind is one species, the religion that God has ordained for humans is
[essentially] one... Human spiritual and social needs are uniform and human
nature has not changed since the first man and woman were created”.[12]

Uncovering the fact that the message of God has always
been the same, I realized it is the duty of all human beings to seek the truth
and not just blindly accept the religion that their society or parents follow.
According to the Quran,

“You worship besides Him mere names you have named, you and
your fathers, for which God has sent down no authority.” (Quran 12:40)

Regarding fitrah [i.e., the inherent nature of man to
worship God prior to the corruption of his nature by external influences],
Prophet Muhammad said,

“Every child is born on the Fitrah (pure Human
nature) and his parents convert him to Judaism or Christianity or Magianism. As
an animal delivers its calf in a pristine fashion, do you find it mutilated?” (Saheeh
Al-Bukhari)

Furthermore, God says,

“So direct your face [i.e., self] toward the religion,
inclining toward truth. [Adhere to] the fitrah of God upon which He has created
[all] people. No change should there be in the creation of God. That is the
correct religion, but most of the people do not know.” (Quran 30:30)[13]

Moreover, I learned there is no other religion
acceptable to God besides Islam, as He clearly states in the Quran:

“And whoever desires other than Islam as a religion, never
will it be accepted from him, and he, in the Hereafter, will be among the
losers.” (Quran 3:85)

I deduced that man might neglect the guidance of God and
establish his own standards of living. Ultimately, however, he will discover
it is only a mirage that alluded him.

A Traveler

As I continued to read the Quran and learn about the
sayings and doings of Prophet Muhammad [the Sunnah], I noticed Islam views man
as a traveler in this life and the ‘Home’ is in the next life for eternity! We
are here for a short period and we cannot take anything with us from this life
except our belief in God and our deeds. Thus, man should be like a traveler
who passes through the land and does not become attached to it. As travelers
on this journey, we must understand that the meaning of being alive is to be
tested. Hence, there is suffering, joy, pain and elation. These tests of good
and evil are intended to evoke our higher spiritual qualities. Yet, we are
incapable of benefiting from these tests unless we do our best, have complete
trust in God and patiently accept what He has destined for us.

The Road to Paradise

It was very meaningful to me to learn about Paradise since this must certainly be the ultimate goal of every individual. Regarding
this eternal home, God says,

“And no soul knows what has been hidden for it of comfort for eyes
[i.e., satisfaction] as a reward for what it used to do.” (Quran 32:17)

I also became aware of a pleasure that is beyond all
imagination, which is to look at the Creator Himself. I wondered who were the
souls worthy of such a reward? This reward of Paradise was priceless. I
was told the price is true faith, which is proven by obedience to God and
following the Sunnah (way) of Prophet Muhammad.

I grasped that mankind must worship God to attain
righteousness and the spiritual status necessary to enter Paradise.[14]
This means human beings have to comprehend that worship is as indispensable as
eating and breathing and not a favor they are doing for God. Likewise, I found
out that we need to read the Quran to find out what kind of people God wants us
to be and then try to become as such. This is the road to Paradise.

Your History

This website is for people of various faiths who seek to understand Islam and Muslims. It contains a lot of brief, yet informative articles about different aspects of Islam. New articles are added every week. Also, it features Live Help through chat.

User Login

Registration

Why register? This web site has several customizations made specifically for you, such as: your favorites, your history, marking articles you have previously viewed, listing articles published since your last visit,
changing font size, and more. These features are based on cookies and will work correctly only when you use the same computer. To enable these features from any computer, you should login while browsing this site.

(Note: All your account details are kept private and not given to any third party.)

The fields below are optional but the E-mail field will be necessary should you forget your password.